Systems and methods for hydrogen generation from solid hydrides
First Claim
1. A method of generating hydrogen gas, comprising:
- providing a fuel in solid form, the fuel being capable of generating hydrogen when brought into contact with a reagent and water;
providing an acidic reagent; and
contacting the acidic reagent with the solid fuel in the presence of water to generate hydrogen gas and a borate by-product.
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Abstract
A system is disclosed for hydrogen generation based on hydrolysis of solid chemical hydrides with the capability of controlled startup and stop characteristics wherein regulation of acid concentration, acid feed rate, or a combination of both control the rate of hydrogen generation. The system comprises a first chamber for storing a solid chemical hydride and a second chamber for storing an acidic reagent. The solid chemical hydride is a solid metal borohydride having the general formula MBH4, where M is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal cations, alkaline earth metal cations, aluminum cation, zinc cation, and ammonium cation. The acidic reagent may comprise inorganic acids such as the mineral acids hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid, and organic acids such as acetic acid, formic acid, maleic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid, or mixtures thereof.
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Citations
61 Claims
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1. A method of generating hydrogen gas, comprising:
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providing a fuel in solid form, the fuel being capable of generating hydrogen when brought into contact with a reagent and water;
providing an acidic reagent; and
contacting the acidic reagent with the solid fuel in the presence of water to generate hydrogen gas and a borate by-product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of generating hydrogen, comprising:
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providing at least one solid borohydride of formula M(BH4)n, wherein M is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal cations, alkaline earth metal cations, aluminum cation, zinc cation, and ammonium cation, and n corresponds to the charge of the selected M cation; and
contacting the solid borohydride with a liquid reagent having a pH lower than about 7 to generate hydrogen. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of producing and controlling the production of hydrogen, comprising:
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providing a solid borohydride of formula M(BH4)n, wherein M is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal cations, alkaline earth metal cations, aluminum cation, zinc cation, and ammonium cation, and n corresponds to the charge of the selected M cation;
contacting the solid borohydride with an aqueous acidic reagent solution in a reaction chamber to generate hydrogen; and
regulating the rate or concentration of the acidic reagent solution contacting the solid borohydride, to control the rate of hydrogen generation. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A hydrogen gas generation system, comprising:
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a first region for containing a solid borohydride;
a second region for containing a reagent solution having a pH of less than about 7; and
at least one gas permeable membrane in contact with the first region, wherein the membrane is capable of allowing hydrogen to pass through the membrane while preventing solid and liquid materials from passing through the membrane. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A hydrogen gas generation system comprising:
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a fuel chamber for storing a solid borohydride having formula M(BH4)n, wherein M is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal cations, alkaline earth metal cations, aluminum cation, zinc cation, and ammonium cation, and n corresponds to the charge of the selected M cation;
a reagent chamber for storing an acidic reagent solution;
at least one gas permeable membrane provided in contact with the fuel chamber to allow hydrogen to pass through the gas permeable membrane while preventing solid and liquid materials from passing through the gas permeable membrane;
a fuel conduit for conveying the acidic reagent solution from the reagent chamber to the fuel chamber; and
a control mechanism for regulating the flow of acidic reagent solution from the reagent chamber to the fuel chamber. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A hydrogen gas generation system, comprising:
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a first chamber for storing solid sodium borohydride;
a second chamber for storing a hydrochloric acid solution; and
a control means for regulating the rate of contact between the solid sodium borohydride and the hydrochloric acid solution to allow conversion of the sodium borohydride to generate hydrogen gas. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61)
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Specification